


Two steps behind

by Hiver_Frost_Elf, StormXPadme



Series: "Tales Untold" & "Tales Beyond": (Don't) Need-to-know [2]
Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Baby Legolas Greenleaf, Caring Thranduil, Drunk Thranduil, Eryn Lasgalen, Family, Gen, Good Parent Thranduil, Greenwood, Mirkwood, Reverse Big Bang Challenge, Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24677353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hiver_Frost_Elf/pseuds/Hiver_Frost_Elf, https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormXPadme/pseuds/StormXPadme
Summary: 20-year-old Legolas gets lost in the woods. When he's found, it's not by his father...***While this oneshot is part of my main verse, it's not necessary to know any of the other parts to understand it.
Relationships: Legolas Greenleaf & Thranduil
Series: "Tales Untold" & "Tales Beyond": (Don't) Need-to-know [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125545
Comments: 35
Kudos: 93
Collections: Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2020





	Two steps behind

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2020
> 
> Thanks to the wonderful Hiver_Frost_Elf for this beautiful picture, to the mods for doing the good work of this challenge and to my beta SecretlyThranduil!
> 
> image description: Legolas sitting in a forest with some animals. A deer is to his right and holding a stick in its mouth. A bunny is in his lap, a bird is in his hand, and a butterfly is on his head. There's glowing eyes and shadows to their left, creeping towards them.

Legolas hadn't _meant_ to run off.

He wasn't _stupid_. It was dangerous in the woods. He wasn't allowed to be alone in the woods.

But he had been so. _Bored_.

His ada had visitors from the land on the other side of the mountains. The one ada always talked about with the funny face, like he'd just tasted oversalted soup. (Sometimes, when ada was being too nasty, the cooks oversalted his soup on purpose, which Legolas knew, because 20 year olds overheard _everything_.)

Legolas didn't like it much when these visitors came over the mountains. His ada was always in a bad mood afterwards. Then he forgot a ride on his newest horse that had promised Legolas a few days earlier or sent him away when he wanted to come and play in the shooting range.

And the _clothes_.

The fostress always put Legolas in one of these stiff, scratching robes when ada had important visitors. Legolas tried to be especially good on such days because his ada liked it when he dressed as neatly as him, with jewels in his hair and with clothes you could hardly _walk_ in, not to mention run in …

But it was _hard_. Sometimes, Legolas' legs were faster than his thoughts, and he didn't have his ada's grace and sleight (yet!). Sometimes, he would stumble over his own feet when he was trying to behave especially well. He hated those days the most because his ada always looked at him with that disapproving wrinkle between his dark brows when he showed up late with dirt or even snags on these darn silken robes.

Legolas was convinced that robes were a punishment of the Valar.

This was why in the beginning he had been happy about the idea of accompanying his ada and his most recent visitor – the tall one, with the black hair – on a walk around the palace. Walks meant breeches and tunics, not the long, flowy, itchy stuff.

He had hoped he could finally show his ada the new arrow he had carved last week. Maybe ada would allow him to try it on his bow then, the big, pretty one, with the pearls on both ends … This time, it was a good arrow, Legolas was sure of it. It would fly so far!

But as so often when he had visitors, his ada had hardly had a second look for him to spare as Legolas trotted behind the two older elves. He couldn't get even one word in; they were fully immersed in their stupid bickering about some evil people who were roaming the borders between the land behind the mountains and Greenwood the Great. The ones his ada only talked about in a very quiet voice, calling them hunchbacks and tramps when Legolas was around.

But Legolas wasn't _stupid_. He knew about the evil ones. The _yrch_.

He knew about them because his ada had cursed and haunted and burned them for many long months after his nana had left. Sometimes he had been gone so long that Legolas had been afraid he would never come back. He didn't remember much of that time, but uncle Erestor had been there for him, that he knew, and he had promised, his ada would come back, and he always had. And then his ada had stopped leaving one day.

Now, they only ever got visitors. Every week. Every week, his ada seemed to have less time for Legolas, and sometimes, that hurt, and sometimes he was crying alone at night in his bed. But then he quickly stopped because crying made his ada sad. He remembered his ada running from the room, so angry and white in his face, with hard-clenched fists, when Legolas had cried at his nana's bed back then, on that terrible day.

He didn't like it when his ada was sad, so he had stopped crying. Eventually.

He didn't cry now either, despite being alone and not exactly sure where he was. That was alright. This was his home, and he knew his home.

And ada and the visitor, they couldn't be far. Legolas had heard them in the distance until a few minutes ago, until he'd stumbled over that damn root and fell down that stupid slope. His arrow had broken, and that was much worse than his scraped knee and elbow. But he didn't cry.

You didn't complain when you messed things up yourself. He shouldn't have lingered.

But there had been ruby berries – those were the good ones, with the pointed leaves! Never eat the one with the round leaves, those give you a bellyache! – and his ada hadn't even heard him when he asked to stop for a while so he could collect some. So when they had passed the third of those so rich, so tasty-looking bushes, Legolas just had to snatch a few of the ripe fruits. He had been sure that his ada would just have to stop once Legolas wasn't behind him anymore.

But somehow the voices had departed more and more while Legolas filled the pockets of his tunic, and now he wondered if his ada even knew what had happened.

He hadn't noticed much lately. Maybe he thought Legolas had run back to the palace.

_If he even knows you're gone … Maybe he doesn't care_ , a pitiful voice seemed to whisper behind his forehead.

He scrunched his nose and shook himself a little because those were stupid and mean thoughts, thoughts of his nightmares and fears, and big elves like him should never be afraid of anything. Ada always said that, too.

Besides, there was nothing to fear. If his ada wasn't looking for him, he would find the way back to the palace himself, even on this overgrown, pathless meadow he'd stumbled onto because he hadn't been looking where he was going _again_. That was easy. He knew the direction, and he could follow the route of the sun. Every elfling could read the sun. And Legolas wasn't an _elfling_ anymore, he was already big and smart, and strong.

He didn't know everything about the big world and the grown-ups yet, but this, he'd understood early. He had to be strong on his own because there wouldn't always someone be there for him.

Like now. He would be fine. He would sit here a little until his knee didn't hurt anymore, and eat some berries, and if his ada hadn't found him by then, he would go back home.

 _Easy_.

 _Also_ , he thought a little unfriendly, and this time, he didn't stop himself. _Maybe he'll feel a little bad that he didn't listen, when he sees I'm gone._

He wiped his face with his sleeve – well, maybe he had been crying a _little_ , but now he wasn't anymore, so it was alright – and sniffled. Then he suddenly sneezed because something red and big landed on his nose.

At the sudden noise, the something fluttered up and flew a few erratic, offended circles before sitting down on his ear.

"Sorry, Master Butterfly. I didn't mean to scare you."

Legolas watched the square shape by his temple in his shadow, with his head slightly tilted. It looked funny, almost like part of a crown, though not as big and beautiful as his ada's, of course. He chuckled when the animal's snout grazed the tip of his ear. "I'm no flower, but you can stay there if you like. That's alright. You're not heavy, Master Butterfly."

No, that wouldn't do. When you made a friend, they needed a name.

His ada always said that too, though sometimes he would give new friends funny and sometimes vile names after they'd left.

Legolas didn't like that. His nana had always said that people were nice to you when you were nice to them. Sometimes he thought his ada maybe just didn't know that, and maybe he should tell him. But his ada never listened when he was in one of those mean moods, so probably better not.

But _he_ could be kind if he wanted to. It was so much _easier_. Being angry and sad hurt, and it was exhausting. Sometimes, he wondered if his ada just didn't understand that.

He remembered the blur of color that had just passed by his sight a moment ago and smiled in delight when he thought of the perfect word amidst all his sad musing. "I am Legolas, and you'll be Rovcaran now. It is nice to meet you."

The butterfly flapped its round wings and swung up and down on the tip of his ear, and that was as good an answer as any.

His voice had apparently called out to the countless beings in his area (his ada sometimes said, Legolas had a talent for that, but then, it never worked when he wanted it to, so he wasn't sure at all about that), because next thing he knew, there was a little bird landing on his good knee.

It looked at him so hopefully and expectantly that Legolas couldn't help but pluck a few berries from his pocket and hold it out to the little one, though he had wanted to save them for the way home. But that was alright; he would find the bushes again. And even if not, he could go a few hours with his belly rumbling. All warriors could, he knew that from his ada's Captain.

The bird carefully picked one of the berries from his palm, the sharp beak scraping over his skin, and then thanked him for the gift with the most beautiful song. High-keyed and jauntily and so melodious, it was as if a dozen of its kind were singing at once.

"You're very welcome," Legolas said in a solemn tone and lowered his head a little. "You need a name too! I think I'll call you Glinnmil. What do you think?"

Of course, the bird didn't answer, but it didn't move either but kept on filling its stomach with the berries, and that was good enough, too.

Only when Legolas wanted to see if he could make funny shadow images with his other new friend too did he realize that the sun had vanished behind clouds. Suddenly, it wasn't all that bright and hot on that clearing anymore. For a moment, his stomach dropped – how was he going to find his way without the sun? But as he nervously looked around to see if there was anything else familiar that he could orientate himself with, he spotted something brown and fluffy sitting in the bushes close by.

Immediately, all worry and slight unrest (no fear, warriors weren't afraid!) was forgotten. The sun would come back out in a minute anyway, no reason to worry _at all_. He carefully reached out a hand to his side.

"Come here, little one! Come, join us! Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you!"

This time, he deliberately tried what his ada sometimes called his beckoning voice, a little deeper, with that very clear, slow pronunciation on every syllable, because who knew? Maybe he really could do it and just didn't know?

His ada had also said something about needing to be careful with that voice because sometimes you beckoned things you didn't want near to you, but Legolas couldn't quite remember that one. Also, he was in the middle of the woods of his home, nothing bad could happen here. Here, they were safe.

Not like in the land in the east that his grandfather hadn't come back from.

Not like the borders where his nana had been going for a ride that one terrible day.

Here, everything was good. Here, he was with his friends.

"Come, little one! That's right, just come here. See? No one will hurt you."

With beaming eyes, he watched the little rabbit jump a few inches closer to him before it hesitated again, scenting, watching him from big skeptical eyes.

Maybe it had met evil people before. Yes, that was probably it; that was why it was careful.

Legolas knew, of course, that not all animals were friends. That some also served the elves as food. But the hunters always only brought sick and old ones, and this one here could only just have left its mother.

"Not going to hurt you, promise!" He held up both hands to show he had nothing in them, even all of the berries by now vanished in Glinnmil's little belly. "See? No bow and no knife, nothing."

That seemed to convince the little one. With the next jump, it was on his lap and now only trembled a little bit still when Legolas caressed its soft, thick fur.

"See? I knew you could do it. You're a brave one. I'll call you Candind." That one had been easy. Legolas smiled proudly.

But then he realized that the animal under his carefully feeling hand was really a lot smaller than thought at first, and much too thin. In fact, it probably shouldn't be away from its mother yet. Maybe the hunters had made a mistake and chosen the wrong animal to shoot? Or maybe some bigger animal had gotten the mother. That happened sometimes.

"You're alone, aren't you? Here, look, these are for you. They are the last I have, but I can find more." One by one, he slowly fed the last of the berries from his other pocket to the little one and felt relieved that it didn't shake badly anymore.

"See, that's much better, isn't it? You just have to get a little stronger, and then you have to find others of your kin. They will help. You see, my nana is gone too. Ada said, she's on a long journey now, and we don't know if we will see her again. But ada is always there for me! And Erestor, and the fostress, and Celeblasdes and Galdis …"

At that point, he had to stop because he suddenly missed his ada very much, and he choked a little. The uneasy pressure in his belly wanted to come back when he realized that much time had passed and he hadn't heard his ada's voice even once anymore. Maybe he should have shouted for him earlier, but his ada also always said, you had to be careful with shouting in the woods because you never knew what would answer. This time, that seemed to have been a mistake.

Apparently, his ada had really gone back to the palace without him …

_Or maybe he just doesn't know you're gone_ , that evil voice whispered again. This time, it was harder to shut it up.

Legolas swallowed thickly and blinked at the sky again. Still nothing but clouds, but the sun would come out again, soon, he just had to wait.

Until then, he would help out his new little bunny friend. Helping others always made you feel better.

The small fluffy thing carefully pressed against his chest, he got up – his leg almost didn't hurt anymore – and searched a few big rocks from the slope on his right. He found one that was a little dented in the middle, and that was perfect. With a little effort, he made it to cut into one of the younger trees around him with a pointed branch until its juice ran freely and he could collect a bit of the resin in the rock.

"There, see? That will work. We'll make you a nice big house, Candind, and then I'll come back tomorrow and bring you berries again. Before you know, you're big and strong, and you can find the others."

He talked and talked while he started stapling the rocks into something that resembled a little cave, and his voice seemed to be doing well because the bunny laid still on his leg. Glinnmil and Rovcaran were still there too and listened, and actually, things weren't even that bad at all.

"I would take you home, but ada says, no pets in the palace. But you don't have to worry, I'll take good care of you. See? It looks great already! It's almost like our home."

Satisfied, he started to pour the syrup over the construct, carefully and sparse and only in the right place, and then he stopped talking because this was the tricky part. He didn't even know if he could do this. He'd only managed this trick once, and that had been before his nana had gone away. And then, his ada had sat behind him, and Legolas had never been sure if maybe his ada hadn't cast the spell without him noticing.

But now he had to because this was about his friend, and he wanted his friend to be alright. So he started to sing and concentrated on all the words to be chanted in the exact right way, pitch and tone and cadence, like his ada had told him. To his delight, he could indeed see the resin hardening, turning into a hard cover for his little stone house.

"I did it!" he cheered but quickly kept his voice down again and pressed the bunny closer to his belly as it twitched. "I'm sorry. But look, it's finished! This is your new home."

He carefully sat the animal inside the small square and pouted a little when it immediately jumped out and onto his leg again. "No, no, you have to stay! I can't take you home, I told you!"

He tried it again, but Candind wriggled out of his hands again before he could sit him down and even nicked the back of his hand with his sharp teeth. Legolas could swear, he could hear Glinnmil chirp into his ear in amusement.

Frowning, he looked down on the little house and tried to figure out what he had done wrong when he had the relieving realization. "Of course, my mistake! You need a bed, right? Can't sleep on rocks! I'll get you some grass …"

He turned around to look for some reed and laughed in bafflement when he saw a fawn suddenly standing behind him with a piece of grass in its little mouth, which he put right into Legolas' hand when he reached out for it. His ada had told him that deer were very smart and that they could understand the languages of the elves, but he'd never actually witnessed that, so that was a pleasant surprise. It was something he would definitely tell his ada later when he got home!

"Thank you, mellon. Just what I need." He bowed softly into the direction of the newcomer and for a moment, stared fascinatedly into its huge, kind black eyes, spotting his own reflection in there. "I think you should be called Nardhen, what do you say?"

He squealed and turned away when the fawn stalked closer only to lick a broad stripe over his cheek. "Alright, alright, stop it. I need to get finished. It's late." He pointed at the sky, doing his best to ignore that it was still overcast and in fact had filled with one or two dark clouds by now.

Maybe it would rain a little, but that was alright. Rain always stopped. And after rain, the sun always came out, and when the sun came, he could leave. "Ada will be worried when I don't get home soon, you know?"

_Your ada doesn't even know you're gone._

Legolas startled and dropped the grass, and jumped up so violently that all of his four new friends immediately scurried away from him, because there had been that nasty voice again, only this time, it _had not been in his head_.

But there wasn't anyone around, no one who could speak at least … There were only trees – very tall, very broad trees with almost black leaves and cones – and bushes and rocks, and that stupid slope he'd rolled down earlier, and …

And why was it so _dark_ suddenly?

"Who is this?" Legolas hated how much his voice trembled. There was nothing to be afraid of. Nothing was _here_ …

_A friend … I'm your friend, little one, your_ only _friend …_

Only there was _something_. As the sky seemed to darken even more, more with every second, though Legolas could not _possibly_ have spent so much time on this clearing, he could see a strange light between the two tallest trees, only a few feet away from him. Not one light, two … Narrow and flickering, and many feet above his head …

Not lights. _Eyes_. Green eyes. Unnatural eyes. Glowing eyes.

 _Evil_ eyes.

It said, it was his friend, but Legolas didn't believe that. At _all_.

"What do you want?" He did his best to sound brave, and brisk, like his ada when he didn't want to talk to someone, but his voice was too quiet and too high, and he hadn't had anything to drink all day, as he suddenly realized, and his throat hurt a little.

_Just talk … You're lonely, your family left you. I'm here for you, don't worry … I'll take care for you … I'm taking care of all the lost ones in these woods …_

The voice was everywhere and nowhere, it spoke all around him as much as in his head, and Legolas didn't know how it could do that, because it _definitely_ wasn't an elf. It was something else, something not from these woods. Had to be, there was nothing evil in these woods …

Maybe it was like the hunchbacks, the tramps.

Maybe it was like those creatures in the war …

Legolas' thoughts were a mess, he was breathing too quickly and loudly, he could hear his heart in his ears. He was not acting like a quiet hunter and warrior _at all_ , and suddenly he knew, he just _knew_ , he had to _run_ …

_Never run, ion._

A so much better, warmer, calming voice in his head had him freeze on the spot. It was only another memory, but it was a good one, from one of the few hours that his ada had spent with him lately, in the training halls with the others who wanted to fight for their home someday. Legolas was too small and too weak still to handle any of the weapons of the grown-ups, but his ada had told him a _lot_ about how someday he would, he _would_ be strong and not afraid of anything, and he would always come home and never leave, not like his nana …

And he had told him that you never ran. When you ran, they came for you, and then people could get hurt.

What if the monster was hungry? It could come for his _friends_. Legolas clenched his fists and thrust his jaw forward like he had seen his ada do when he got ready to throw someone out that he didn't want to talk to anymore.

The voice was _loud_ … Someone had to hear, right? Not his ada, his ada had left indeed, but other elves who were on a walk or patrolling in the woods, _someone_ … If he just _waited_ …

"I don't need you. Go away!"

_So impolite, little elfling …_

The eyes crept closer. The _shadows_ crept closer. Only now, Legolas realized that he must have been sitting in that shadow for a while already. It was huge, this thing was _huge_ , and the shadow of its arm pointed right at Legolas, engulfing him … It had the shape of a claw.

He trembled and backed away, only a step, but in his sudden growing fear didn't see where he was going. Promptly he stumbled over something and painfully fell on his behind, a sharp rock digging into his tailbone, another scraping over his thigh. His eyes were still fixed on that shape that approached him, nothing but black and shadows and eyes and … Were those tentacles?

Only when he reached out blindly for something, _anything_ , he realized what he'd fallen over. The cave he had built for the bunny.

Maybe he wasn't without a weapon after all.

His hand closed around the edge of the construction as he fought to get back on his feet, taking the firmly stuck together rocks with him. They were so heavy that he could hardly lift them, but when he did, when he raised them with both hands over his shoulder, he was sure that he could see the shadow stop. Maybe even retreat — just a little.

"I said, _go away_!"

The shadow _screeched_.

Legolas hardly heard his own fearful scream over the horrible, high-pitched noise that seemed to explode right behind his forehead. Sudden coldness burned inside of him, _blackness_ , and then pictures he hadn't known he _had_ in his head, like his mother's blood-covered body being carried past him to the rooms of the healers, and his ada lying on the floor of his wine cellar, curled upon his side, crying …

Without even really realizing, he hurled the rocks at the creature even as he fell to his knees, crying in terror, and he thought he heard a quiet thump, but he wasn't sure, and …

And then he was suddenly pulled into strong arms that he knew very well, and from behind him, a dozen arrows were shot at once – burning arrows, magic arrows, with the bright glowing light of a destructive spell.

For a moment, he thought, he saw the creature in that light. He thought to see feet-long sharp teeth, in a mouth wide opened for another piercing scream, and more claws, and a scaly skin crawling with maggots. And those terrible, terrible eyes looking right at him ...

But then his ada wrapped him in his cloak and pressed his face into his shoulder, so he didn't have to see anymore, and he was running, taking him away from the bad place, running, faster and faster …

When they stopped, and Legolas dared to open his eyes again, they were in the palace garden, sitting under the biggest tree there, the one that his nana had always climbed with Legolas as soon as he'd been able to walk. His ada held him to his chest, whispering soothing words to him, half singing, half talking, in one of those old dialects Legolas couldn't understand yet, and then the coldness and the fear were gone. 

Instead, dread and guilt filled him, when he carefully looked up at his ada's face and saw tears streaming down his cheeks. His ada was so awfully pale again, like that night when his nana had left. His crown sat askew on his untidy hair, and his eyes were filled with the same fear that Legolas had felt just a few minutes earlier.

"I'm sorry … I'm so _sorry_. I didn't mean to run away." His hands clenched in his ada's tunic as he blinked quickly, again and again, trying to keep back the tears and not anger his ada even more with his weakness. "You were gone … I thought you left …"

"Never, my little leaf." His ada peppered his face with kisses and rested his forehead against his, just pulled him even closer against him, and Legolas could feel that his ada was trembling. Something he had never felt before.

"We were right in front of you the whole time, you see? But that thing, that monster … When it sees you, it pulls you in, and then others can't see you anymore. We thought you lost …" Another tear, and then a smile when Legolas reached up to wipe it away, distraught by what he was seeing and hearing.

His ada took his hand and kissed it softly. "You were very brave, my little leaf. You scared it, you know? That was how we could see you."

"Really?" Legolas' mouth promptly stood wide open. He couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "Me? But I just …"

"You took the fight out of it." His ada caressed his cheek, his hair, his back, and he couldn't remember when he had last felt so warm. "Just for a moment, but that was enough. You didn't back down when it came at you. You're my brave little leaf. One day you'll be a big warrior."

"Like you, ada." Happy, and relieved, Legolas nestled his face close to his ada's chest. He was home.

And then his ada asked, and he told him everything, and with every word, he felt lighter and calmer.

"Your Majesty?" The not so beloved, rough voice of his ada's closest advisor interrupted him as he was just anxiously wondering what had happened to his friends, if the monster had gotten them. "The soldiers are back. No losses. It seems to be gone. The Lord is waiting for you in the throne room. Shall I get the fostress for the Prince?"

"I don't think so."

His ada smiled down gently when Legolas again stared at him with his mouth hanging open. His ada never left such an important visitor waiting, and he had to talk to the soldiers too, especially after a fight …

"I have an important appointment with my son in the woods. But you can tell the Lord, I'll be seeing him next week."

"Next …?" The advisor stopped abruptly when Legolas' ada regarded him with one of his famous stern looks from narrow ice blue eyes.

"I'll try my best to explain it to him."

But his ada wasn't listening anymore. He got up, with Legolas still in his arms, and carried him in the direction of the stables, and for once, Legolas didn't mind at all that he was actually _much_ too old to be carried.

"Alagas needs a little exercise anyway. Let's see if we can find your friends. And if we don't, we'll make sure at least that monster never comes back to these parts of the woods. These things are afraid of the light, you know? They fear all things beauty and good. Will you help me with a song to keep the monster away?"

"Yes! I know a perfect song! Nana always sang it to me when I went to sleep …" Legolas stopped himself when he saw his ada's expression darken immediately and bit his tongue until he could taste blood. He should know better by now. "I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to talk about her, I know."

His ada shook his head with a jerk, it didn't look too convincing. But at least he didn't leave this time. He just kissed Legolas' temple for a fleeting moment and then put him down so they could enter the stables.

They were going on an adventure. No time for tears on an adventure.

Another time, maybe, they could talk about her.

Legolas could wait.

**Author's Note:**

> * Nardhen = knot-eyes  
> * Candind = bold heart  
> * Glinnmil = song love  
> * Rovcaran = red wing  
> * ada = father  
> * nana = mother  
> * mellon = friend  
> * ion = son  
> * yrch = orcs
> 
> Celeblasdes and Galdis are the property of dear Inwiste.


End file.
